Translator: CinderTL
"One sword... to kill an Apex Divine Spirit head-on?!"
Even the Divine Spirits themselves were stunned, let alone the others. Xuan Zhu, ranked third on the Merit Ranking, found his emotions surging uncontrollably.
He had initially believed Li Chunjun only possessed a mastery of stealth and assassination Mystical Powers. He had even cooperated by using his Heavenly Dark Moon Eclipse Art to suppress the Divine Spirits' Divine Sense and perception, drawing their attention and facilitating Li Chunjun's attacks.
Relying on the bizarre nature of that Mystical Power...
Li Chunjun had certainly not disappointed him.
Before the Heavenly Dark Moon Eclipse Art was broken, he had single-handedly slaughtered more than half of the forty-four Divine Spirits. Among them were several Greater Divine Spirits.
Such a number of Divine Race members...
Even his thirteen-member squad wouldn't dare engage them in a head-on battle, lest they suffer heavy losses, or even total annihilation.
Li Chunjun's performance had completely shattered Xuan Zhu's preconceived notions, earning his deep respect for the man who had once topped the Merit Points Ranking.
But just as the heavily depleted Divine Spirits finally realized the existence of this "assassin" and forced him out with their Mystical Powers, the combat prowess he unleashed next instantly overturned the Great True Lord's previous understanding of him.
One sword... to kill an Apex Divine Spirit head-on!
What kind of power was this?!
This Li Chunjun wasn't just astonishingly efficient at assassination; he was equally formidable in direct combat!
He chose assassination only because it was more efficient, conserving his stamina for the intense battles that followed.
His true strength...
"Direct confrontation, one sword strike to kill an Apex Divine Spirit! Prodigies! Young Master, this True Lord Li Chunjun... is undoubtedly a Sage-level genius!"
Beside Xuan Zhu, a Late-Stage Nascent Soul elder couldn't contain his excitement.
Besides being a disciple of the Eternal Light Hall, Xuan Zhu was also the Young Master of a prominent clan, and this elder served as one of his Dao Protectors.
"Sage-level..."
A hint of envy flickered in Xuan Zhu's eyes.
Despite his noble background, he had chosen to enter the Two Worlds Mountain Battlefield to hone his skills in its harsh environment, hoping to further advance his strength and compete for the title of "Prodigy" in the Eternal Light Hall's grand competition in two years.
If he could secure the title, he would not only receive the sect's full support but also the complete backing of his clan for his future development.
Every Prodigy was a strong contender for the Profound Yellow List, and if one could ascend to the Star Brilliance List and become a Son of Sun Radiance...
Not only could he obtain Sixth-Rank materials and Pills, but even becoming a disciple of a great expert and receiving personal guidance from a Void Refining cultivator was no longer a distant dream.
He was still striving toward the goal of becoming the "Dao Prodigy Xuan Zhu," yet before him...
stood a living Sword Prodigy!
Li Chunjun, Sword Son Li, second only to Chu Ci, the Profound Dao Child Chu, who topped the Merit Points Ranking!
Watching the figure soar through the air on his sword, slaughtering enemies with seemingly endless energy, Xuan Zhu quickly suppressed his complex emotions.
"So, it's the Sword Prodigy, is it? I may not match you in assassination techniques, but let's see who truly excels in direct combat with Mystical Powers!"
With that, he abandoned his "Heavenly Dark Moon Eclipse Art."
A Spirit Treasure materialized in his hand. While it didn't reach the level of the Scarlet Sky Sword's top-grade quality, its activation projected a hundred-meter-wide moon behind him.
"Boundless Cold Moon!"
The moon hung high, but it drew forth a ghostly, icy flame, forming tens of thousands of white-flamed moths that swarmed toward the Divine Spirits.
The Divine Spirits, relying on their sharp Mystical Powers and exquisite Mystic Treasures, continuously destroyed the moths. However, the sheer number of these moths proved overwhelming.
They killed one, but couldn't kill a second. They killed the second, and a third, a fourth, a tenth, a hundredth...
Under the relentless onslaught of the cold-flame moths, Divine Spirits were swarmed and engulfed.
The moment the moths touched a Divine Spirit, they transformed into cold white flames that blazed fiercely. These flames seemed to draw their energy from the Cultivator's Essence Qi, Qi, and even Divine Sense. Once ignited, they were nearly impossible to extinguish.
One after another, Divine Spirits were reduced to ashes in agonizing screams.
"Damn it!"
The remaining Apex Divine Spirit watched Li Chunjun's unstoppable advance, the terrifyingly vast swarm of cold-flame moths, and the endless stream of Human Race Nascent Soul cultivators pouring through the Space Overlap Zone. He knew the tide had turned.
With a furious wave of his hand, he roared, "Retreat! Fall back!"
With that, he immediately unleashed his Escaping Light, intending to regroup with the fifty or so Divine Spirits who were still ambushing the Human Race rescuers.
The remaining Divine Spirits followed closely behind.
They had sacrificed half their souls to their Divine Being, willing to sacrifice their lives without hesitation for the Divine Race's grand scheme. But this didn't mean they had lost their minds.
Nor did it mean they were willing to die meaninglessly.
"Retreat?"
Li Chunjun glanced at the thirty-odd Nascent Soul True Lords behind him and the dwindling number of Divine Spirits, clearly insufficient to kill. With a wave of his hand, his Flying Sword returned to his body, then shot straight toward the Apex Divine Spirit.
The Apex Divine Spirit, who was about to rendezvous with the interception team a hundred miles away, sensed the lock of razor-sharp Sword Intent. It hurled a talisman from its hand, which transformed into a golden rope that rapidly coiled toward Li Chunjun.
"A Fifth-Tier Talisman?" Li Chunjun recognized it instantly.
But...
At his current level of Divine Sense, few Nascent Soul cultivators could rival him, except for the rare individuals with a chance of making the Star Brilliance List.
With a mere flick of his Sword Intent, he shattered the Divine Sense guiding the talisman.
Without the guidance of Divine Sense, the already clumsy talisman lost all agility.
Li Chunjun flashed aside, narrowly dodging the binding golden light.
Then, with a pointed finger, Sword Qi erupted, quickly coalescing into the Scarlet Sky Sword's blade.
Having replenished its reserves of Sword Qi, his Lifebound Flying Sword, now radiating brilliant light, was driven by his Divine Sense to accelerate to its maximum speed. It instantly slammed into the Apex Divine Spirit's back.
"Human Sword Prodigy!" the Apex Divine Spirit roared, unleashing several more talismans.
Unfortunately, these Talismans were ultimately lacking.
In Nascent Soul-level combat, a Fifth-Tier Talisman deployed at a crucial moment could serve as a trump card.
For Nascent Soul cultivators, possessing even one or two Fifth-Tier Talismans was considered a sign of substantial wealth.
Divine Spirits were no exception. In some ways, their resources were even more meager than those of Human Nascent Soul cultivators.
Without Fifth-Tier Talismans, Li Chunjun paid little heed to the Tier 4 Talismans they relied upon.
The Grand Ruins Sword Intent erupted from the Scarlet Sky Sword, unleashing a storm of Sword Qi that relentlessly pounded the Apex Divine Spirit's body.
The Sword Intent ravaged the opponent's spirit!
The Sword Qi crippled their techniques!
And then...
The Flying Sword itself annihilated the opponent's physical form!
Three-pronged assault.
Accompanied by the Apex Divine Spirit's desperate cry, their protective Mystic Treasure shattered instantly. Sword Qi crisscrossed the battlefield, and radiant light exploded in all directions.
The Scarlet Sky Sword tore through their body without hesitation, swirling with countless streaks of light as it charged toward another Divine Spirit.
Compared to the Apex Divine Spirit's path of growth, inevitably stained with countless lives, this encounter was merely a fleeting stepping stone.
"Killed a Level 26 creature! Experience +1601!"
[Life Level: 30 (11481/100000)]
"As expected, he's achieved a new breakthrough! This improvement is truly remarkable!"
In the distance, True Lord Yuanhai and True Lord Liu Feng, who had fought alongside Li Chunjun for half a year, watched the scene with exhilaration and surprise in their eyes.
"Previously, it took six consecutive sword strikes to kill an Apex Divine Spirit. Though the process was domineering and unparalleled, it lacked the current effortless, overwhelming power. Now, a single strike is enough to kill an Apex Divine Spirit... With this strength, he might even be considered among the top Prodigies!" True Lord Zhi Yuan speculated.
"Top Sword Prodigy?" Zhao Yu Pan's eyes sparkled. "I'm wondering if Sword Prodigy Li will be granted a challenge spot on the Star Brilliance List when he returns to the Profound Yellow Great World, based on this achievement."
A challenge spot on the Star Brilliance List?
The words left True Lord Liu Feng, True Lord Yuanhai, and True Lord Zhi Yuan momentarily stunned.
The Star Brilliance List!
The Profound Yellow Great World encompassed an unfathomably vast expanse, with countless Lesser Worlds scattered throughout. Even if each Lesser World could produce only one Nascent Soul True Lord, the total number of Nascent Soul True Lords would still be astronomical.
Within Zhao Yu Pan's circle, reaching Nascent Soul Perfection was already the envy of countless others.
Sage-level figures were their daily conversation fodder, let alone those who could obtain a spot on the Star Brilliance List's challenger roster.
Such beings were like A-list celebrities to ordinary people.
Considering the sheer number of people involved, it would have to be a world-class phenomenon.
Yet here they were, witnessing someone with the potential to earn a spot on the Star Brilliance List's challenger roster appear right before their eyes, and they were even fortunate enough to become his temporary teammates?
"Alright, stop overthinking it. Just focus on showcasing your abilities."
Zhao Yu Pan looked at the group. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you all! If you can seize it and earn Sword Prodigy Li's recognition after the Two Worlds Mountain Battlefield, becoming his followers would be nothing short of a heaven-defying transformation for you—and for me as well."
Her words sent a chill down the spines of the Nascent Soul True Lords.
What kind of treatment awaited those who had a chance to top the Star Brilliance List!?
Even Primordial Spirit True Monarchs would go to great lengths to invest in such individuals.
If they, as Nascent Soul cultivators, could just stay by his side, even if it meant just drinking the soup...
Drinking the soup was too extravagant.
Even a few scraps would be enough to satisfy them.
And even those scraps could completely change their lives.
With this thought in mind, the group quickly said, "Let's catch up with him!"
"The battle isn't over yet."
As they spoke, they swiftly raced toward the fifty-plus Divine Spirits a hundred miles away.
The fifty-odd Divine Spirits had been intercepting thirty-odd Nascent Soul cultivators from the Human Race.
These thirty-odd Nascent Soul cultivators had come to disrupt the Divine Spirits' ambush of Human reinforcements crossing the continent.
However, their numbers were too few, leaving them powerless.
But now, witnessing the arrival of such powerful reinforcements—forty-odd Divine Spirits, including two Apex Divine Spirits, swiftly defeated—the thirty-odd Nascent Soul True Lords' morale surged.
Some among them even recognized something, shouting, "Heavenly Dark Moon Eclipse Art! That's Great True Lord Xuan Zhu's signature Mystical Power! Great True Lord Xuan Zhu has arrived!"
"I've seen the True Lord who just killed an Apex Divine Spirit with a sword! It's True Lord Li Chunjun! I even greeted him at the Great Camp before!"
"True Lord Li? I've heard rumors that he possesses Sage-level power! I didn't believe it before. If he truly had such strength, he should have been competing with Daoist Chu for the top two spots. Why has he always been hovering outside the top three? But now, I realize I was wrong! To kill an Apex Divine Spirit with a single sword strike—if that's not a Nascent Soul Sword Master, who is?"
In an instant, the Nascent Soul True Lords roared with battle lust, their fighting spirit soaring to the heavens.
They had been suppressed by the Divine Spirits of the Divine Race for days, losing dozens of Nascent Soul comrades. Now, they finally had a chance to redeem themselves!
(End of the Chapter)
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